Summary
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Deku and Bakugo have an interesting relationship inMy Hero Academia. Although they were friends as children, their relationship strained over time, mostly due to Bakugo’s insecurities and personality.
After they enroll in U.A. High School, they end up in the same class, and their relationship is one of the key developments in the story. What exactly is the bond between these two major characters ofMy Hero Academia?
The Early Days of Deku and Bakugo’s Friendship
Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriyahave known each other since their early childhood. Deku admired how skilled Bakugo was, but Bakugo, on the other hand, used to insult Deku for his lack of ability — it was Bakugo who gave him the nickname “Deku”, which was originally demeaning, and it got worse after Bakugo discovered that Deku didn’t have any Quirk at all and bullied him.
While Bakugo was bright, he also became sensitive to criticism and failure, and this made their relationship get worse and worse, especially because, deep inside, he was bothered by how generous Deku was and constantly thought that Deku looked down on him. Nevertheless, Deku still liked Bakugo, and called him “Ka-chan” (or Kacchan), a nickname that made Bakugo even angrier — actually, he never really understood why Bakugo became so annoyed with him over time.
Deku And Bakugo At U.A. High School
Bakugo was actually shocked to discover that Deku now had a Quirk after they both enrolled in U.A. High School. Not only that, but Deku’s Quirk (One for All) was very powerful, which made him sure that Deku always hid it from him, and he took it as proof that Deku looked down on him as he used to imagine.
Later, Bakugo waskidnapped by the Villainsand Deku came to his rescue, despite Bakugo initially telling him not to. This is a turning point in their relationship, at least from Katsuki’s point of view, as he starts to believe Deku about what he said about “getting a Quirk” instead of being born with one. Of course, there are other major moments in the story that impact their relationship.
Their relationshipcould be described as a rivalry, but it is more like Bakugo competing with Dekuthan they competing with each other. Anyway, from that point on, they start to reconnect and deepen their bond. By the end of the story, Bakugo and Deku are good friends again.
Are They Romantically Connected?
As usually happens withshonenmanga, which generally pushes the friendship discourse to the extreme,many fans have started shipping Deku and Bakugo. Their relationship could be seen as a classic “enemy to lovers”, which is a love dynamic that many people enjoy in fiction.
However,when it comes to the canon story, it seems that they are not meant to be a couple, as Deku explicitly ends the story in a relationship with Ochaco (which actually made some fans angry). Of course, fans are always free to imagine alternate scenarios or create their own stories about what they could do after the story ends, or anything of the sort.
What Happens to Deku and Bakugo at The End of My Hero Academia?
In the epilogue, we learn that Deku has become a teacher at U.A. High School (which also angered some fans, as they wanted him to become Hero Number 1) a few years after the Final War. He is also starting a romantic relationship with Ochaco Uraraka.
Bakugo, on the other hand,became a Pro Hero. While he aims to become Number 1 and is respected forhis role in the Final War, he doesn’t rank that well in the Japanese Billboard. His explosive personality makes people afraid of him, and that probably has a big impact on his rank,which is currently #15.
If it was only about power or solving cases, Bakugo would probably rank higher, but he still has a long way to go to reach the top spot — and that could even spawn a new spin-off.
My Hero Academiaisavailable to stream on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages.
My Hero Academia
Cast
In My Hero Academia, some humans have superpowers called quirks. Izuku Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is not one of them. Deku has always idolized heroes like the number one hero, All Might, and since he was a child, he has always wanted to be a hero. However, his lack of a quirk has always held him back, but a chance encounter with All Might after discovering a classmate in danger sets Deku on the path to becoming a true hero. My Hero Academia centers around Deku and a class of heroes-in-training at UA. This school shapes young quirk users into future heroes through fake rescue missions, combat training, and other hero-tempering tasks. With young Deku inheriting the “One-For-All” quirk, he will learn what it means to be a true hero while facing off with dastardly supervillains.
